The family was there for the rest of the day. Lynn Sr. remained by his wife's side, marveling at his first son. After five girls, he had convinced himself that he would never have a kid to play catch with or build something in the garage. Of course, it was perfectly fine if those activities weren't up his son's alley, but it was still exciting to have another man around.
About once an hour, the doctor's had to take the baby away to administer immunizations and check his vitals. It was painful for the couple to be separated from their son; even though the procedures only last two minutes, each time they returned him felt like a gift from God.
Rita was exhilarated. Her mind was overflowing with thoughts, sentiments, and visions of what lies ahead. Lincoln was bound to be another interesting addition to the Loud family. He would grow, cultivate his own interests, embrace his own quirks, and paint his own special way of seeing this beautiful world. She wanted to jump out of this prison cell called a bed and proclaim this right out to him and everyone she knew, but her body cried the opposite. About twenty minutes after the others arrived, she handed the newborn to her husband and took a nap.
Lynn Sr. smiled as he cradled Lincoln. He was a quiet baby, sleeping under his father's watchful eye and unaware of the size and brightness of the room around him. Most of the time, one of his sisters was leaning against the chair's arm, trying to get a good look at him. Thankfully, they were quiet enough to keep little Lincoln in his blissful slumber.
At one point, Leni stumbled up to her mom, who was in the middle of her own nap.
"Mommy," she said, staring right into her drained, unresponsive face.
"Mommy is tired right now, honey," Lynn Sr. said with a gentle smile. He then took one of his free fingers and pointed down at the baby, "Why don't you take a look at your brother?"
Leni turned and approached the two. Her eyes fell onto the newborn and at first, it wasn't clear what expression she was trying to make. Lynn Sr. recalled from past experiences that it took Leni a little longer to learn her siblings' names than Lori or Luna. When the fifth daughter was born, it took Leni a week to learn her name, let alone realize her joy. And even now, Lynn that whatever Leni was trying to do, it most certainly wasn't talking. An opportunity had found itself.
"Say 'hi' to Lincoln," he said, reflecting his encouragement from his eyes.
As she stood there, she suddenly remembered something Mrs. Boxer had taught her—a thing people do when they greet each other. First she imagined it happening, and then she raised her wrist and waved her hand towards the infant.
"Hi Linc...oln," she said. The continuous movement made her feel good. And it was through that another lesson from Mrs. Boxer popped in her head, "My name...is Leni and I am your big sister."
And then after that, she gave a nice smile, showing off her teeth. They were far from what one would see in the movies—some of them were yellow and coated with plaque—but it almost never seemed to matter. Lynn Sr. was enamored by his children's smiles, no matter how much—or little—they brushed their teeth.
Leni then reached her hand towards Lincoln and rested it on the blanket wrapping him.
"Be gentle. You wouldn't want to hurt him," Lynn Sr. requested through his hushed voice.
She was never regarded as the gold standard of coordination. Lori was used to seeing her little sister and roommate dropping things, holding objects in a way no one else does, having a posture that was either strange or unsettling. Even when she was walking, it wasn't uncommon for Leni to bounce or stumble from her uneven strides. But then when it came to limited and particular situations, she acquired an uncanny level of precision and purpose. Her hand caressed Lincoln's tummy just enough for it to make his body relax but light enough to keep him asleep. It didn't stop there, though. Her fingers were fused together to form a smooth, slightly curved shape. It was as if she knew that would guarantee the greatest amount of comfort to Lincoln.
Minutes went by of Leni rubbing her brother continuous, never daring to break his sleep. It was a scene like that that reaffirmed Lynn Sr.'s confidence in Lincoln being included among his siblings, even if none of them will be able to relate to the boy-specific matters that lied ahead.
Eventually, Luan made her way over to the chair to get another look at her little brother. Her big sister, however, was completely entrenched in the massage she was giving.
"Leni," Lynn Sr. said tenderly, "Why don't you give Luan a turn with Lincoln?"
She continued. Her small smile was frozen in place, the rhythm her hand made never faltered, her eyes didn't even flinch.
Lynn Sr. was disturbed by this. He turned to Luan, whose eyes clearly desired one-on-one time with Lincoln. He then turned back to his second-oldest daughter with her feet planted on the floor and lost in her own world.
"Leni. Your little sister really wants to see Lincoln right now. Why don't you let her...you know scoot in?" he asked tentatively. It wasn't that he lacked a backbone, but the air around him was stifling. Nearby were two people resting and he wouldn't dare wake them up. To yell would most surely disturb the peace.
But then Luan started tapping her foot and wrapping her fists around the chair's arm. Lynn Sr. felt the tension accumulate. Sweat threatened to break from his pores as he continued to get through to his second-oldest daughter, even if his pleas fell on deaf ears and blind eyes. At one point, he considered using one of his hands to pry her's away. That would surely get the message through, but then he hesitated. Leni may have been immersed in her own bubble, but doing something so drastic posed the risk of making her...react.
Lynn Sr. merely sat there, trying to think of a better way to give her other child a chance to spend time with her brother. So many dead-end thoughts flashed through his that nothing of substance could emerge.
"It's my turn, Leni!"
Luan's fist were shaking within their grips, adrenaline raced through her blood, and her limbs felt ready to lunge at her big sister. But even with that, such force wouldn't be necessary. Rita and Lincoln shot awake. Everyone stared at her. The bubble was burst.
Lincoln was the first to reply as he burst into tears. Lynn Sr. started cradling the baby and tried hushing him down. Leni and Luan both recoiled from the chair, the former propped up her Ducky arms. Any emotion either of the two girls experienced was blown away by Lincoln's wailing. The other kids, who were sitting on the other side of the room, had a mixture of reactions to the pandemonium.
"Nice going, you two," Lori sneered.
Moments afterward, the baby calmed down. Lynn Sr. cast him a smile, using one of his fingers to wipe away the tears. He then turned to Luan, whose face was mangled by shame.
"Luan, it's okay. You can be with Lincoln now," he said, having conquered the uncertainty that plagued him earlier. But instead, she stepped back and turned away from them. She lowered herself and huddled on the tile floor.
"What's wrong, honey?" he asked, getting up with Lincoln and kneeling down beside his fourth daughter.
"I'm sorry for wa...waking Linc..Lin...coln," Luan made out, fighting her loose lips and shortness of breath. Her father then noticed that her eyes were squeezed shut and her cheeks were reddening. He knew he needed to act quickly.
"Well look who's here to see you," he said, holding up his son. Luan opened her eyes and wiped them. She then turned to see the newborn just inches from her. Lincoln may not have been able to keep his eyes open, but she didn't care.
"He's so c-cute," she said, giggling. Rather than rubbing him, she peered over him, watching him drift back into sleep. That was enough to make her happy, which is more than Lynn Sr. could have hoped.
Leni stood by the window, keeping up her Ducky arms. She watched the scene unfold, her face lacking color or expression.
"Nice going, you."
At seven o'clock, Lynn Sr. and the five girls went home for the night. It was hard having to say goodbye to Mom and Lincoln, but Lynn Sr. promised all of them that they would be heading back the next afternoon, Valentine's Day.
On that morning, he bundled up all the girls and took them out to Vanzilla. The three younger ones were confused and tired, forcing him to carry them out and buckle them in. Once in control, he pulled out of the driveway and turned on a kids CD to entertain Luna, Luan, and Lynn.
"Do we have to go to school?" Lori protested, crossing her arms.
"Yes, honey," he warmly replied, "Mrs. Turner told me you and your class are having a special party for Valentine's Day. That sounds like it'll be a lot of fun."
The eldest daughter huffed. She knew she wasn't crazy about having a brother and it wasn't like she wanted to sit around, being bored for hours on end. But then her younger siblings—the ones too young for school—started smiling and laughing. They felt like daggers sinking into her skin. She envied the fact that they had nothing to worry about—no school to bog them down. She then turned to Leni, who was staring out the window and twiddling her thumbs.
"At least I'm not alone." she thought to herself.
Vanzilla pulled up at Royal Woods Elementary. The tires came to a stunning halt, forcing everyone forward. Lynn Sr. was used to such quirks; they were just one part of what made the car special. Planting his foot on the brake and allowing the engine to continue its roar, he twisted himself back.
"Okay, you two. Have a nice day," Lynn Sr. said above the noise, "I love you."
Neither of them responded, though. Lori helped Leni unbuckle and get out of the car. Once outside Vanzilla, the daily routine had been restored—Leni's big sister held her hand, walked her in, and dropped her off at Mrs. Egan's. On most days it was a silent affair, nothing more than an obligation.
"Good bye," Lori said as they stood in front of the closed classroom door, the last step of the procedure. She usually waited about ten seconds in the hope of getting a response out of Leni. It was always uncomfortable—especially when she never got a reply or even a hand wave—, but she perpetually imagined mom urging her to do it every day. It was a nagging voice that held onto her mind even when none of her parents were around.
Today, Leni didn't do anything. She looked at Lori as if she were an artifact at the museum, ambivalent to its various features. She remained there as Lori turned and walked away without any further acknowledgement. She stared at her older sibling as she slowly petered out of sight. Once she was gone, she turned the knob and entered the room.
The room looked different. Along the back wall was a line of decorated boxes. Leni made her way to it to see some of the finer details. Each of them was coated in glitter and stickers, had sloppily cut pieces of construction paper, and had a name on them. They each had a personality that could be detected from the choice of supplies; some of them were flooded with stickers while others had simple pencil and crayon drawings.
As she remembered the events at school from yesterday, she felt a minor sting. Her curiosity propelled her from one box to the next, only for the sensation to deepen. It started to hurt, even if her face barely moved. A noise echoed off her eardrum, but the burgeoning burn blocked it out. Her eyes darted at the remarkable touches her classmates put into their Valentine's mailboxes.
But then it halted. She froze as she stopped at one particular entry. Around its edges was a white border, which was unusually well-cut—the wave-like humps were smooth enough to act as a road. Covering the background was the turquoise. Along the top, a white banner ran on top of the turquoise with Leni's name written in an aquamarine marker. At the bottom was a pink cut-out of a familiar face. Unlike the other boxes, it's clear that a careful hand was responsible for the figure; a black marker went the extra mile of including eyes and an open-mouth grin. Beside it was a small white box with the words "Yup yup yup" written in a pink marker. Leni stared at it. Her anxiety fizzled away.
"Good morning, Leni," Mrs. Egan said, smiling, as she walked up to her student. She quickly observed her behavior, "Do you like it?"
On cue, the girl's lips curled up, cheerfully closed her eyes, and she raised her Ducky arms.
"Yup yup yup!"
Mrs. Egan chuckled. Ever since Leni started imitating the character, she found it charming. Indeed, her gift had been a success. As she pondered how the rest of the day would play out, she decided to continue the conversation.
"How was your day yesterday? Did you meet someone special?"
"Yup yup yup!" she exclaimed before re-opening her lids, "I have a little brother now! His name is Lin...Lin..." her smile then dropped as she dug through her mind in search of that beloved name.
"Is his name Lincoln?" she asked.
"Yup yup yup!" she said as her memory re-activated.
Mrs. Egan smiled once again.
"I'm happy that you are happy. And I know that Mommy, Daddy, and your sisters are happy to meet your brother too. Maybe you should make a Valentine for Lincoln," she suggested.
Leni stood there. Her mind wasn't thinking too much about something that appeared so hypothetical. The idea of a Valentine still seemed beyond her reach. Regardless, she smiled at Mrs. Egan's warm radiance.
The other kids entered and put away their coats and backpacks. Some of the students were discussing their Valentine's on top of their usual banter. Leni, however, simply took her seat and waited for Mrs. Egan to start teaching.
"Happy Valentine's Day everyone," Mrs. Egan said. Just like that, the chatter settled down, "I hope you are all looking forward to give out your cards and goodies today. But before we do that, Leni,"
The teacher then turned to the student in question.
"Do you want to tell your friends the exciting news you have?"
All of those juvenile eyes immediately turned to Leni. Her throat tightened, a feeling that was unfamiliar to the young girl. She knew that talking was far from her strong suit and conflicted with her nature. She was tempted to keep up what she found comfortable, to sit there and let the matter either be forgotten or for someone else to act on her behalf. But then she made contact with Mrs. Egan. Something about her teacher's gaze—the serenity that her gave off, the encouragement that emanated from her eyes—made her vocal chords relax.
"I...have a baby brother now."
The kids nearby started congratulating her, telling her stories about their own brothers. Leni suddenly felt a burdensome weight in her chest. This didn't feel right. To her, it was scary and unsettling. Mrs. Egan, however, smiled at the scene.
"It sounds like you all are pretty happy," she said to the class.
"I have a little brother too! And...he likes Hot Wheels!" one boy exclaimed.
"Mine likes Pokemon!" another replied.
"Well I got mine into Princess Pony," one girl said slyly, "Leni should do the same with her's."
Most of the kids shivered and groaned upon hearing that dreaded title; even some of the girls found that schmaltz to be overkill. But even as this was going on, Leni merely sat there stone-faced, not really listening to what any of her classmates were saying. Her mind instead fixated on Lincoln. After one afternoon in that hospital room, she became excited at the prospect of seeing again to rub his adorable tummy.
After some more group conversation, Mrs. Egan extended her arms in some grand gesture to silence the masses.
"We will have time later to talk about our families. Now, let's put all of the Valentines we made into the mailboxes," she said, pointing to the long line of them hung from the wall.
A flood of kids rose from their seats and made their way to their backpacks. Leni stumbled her way to the crowd and, once again, waited for the clump to disperse. Once it did, she sorted through her bag until she pulled out a pink piece of construction paper. Looking down at her work was enough to make the young girl smile.
Holding it, she made her way to the mailboxes, where the rest of the class was. From the back, she read the names on all of them in the hopes of finding a particular one. With so many boxes lined up, one of them had to be correct. Sadly, though, none of them were.
"I see you've made a Valentine," Mrs. Egan said as she walked up to her, "Who is it for?"
After mustering the will to speak before the whole class, Leni felt drained. It was as if she had run several laps around the playground. Instead, she merely shrugged and handed the card over to the teacher.
It was a pink heart with the words "Happy Valitimes Day Linkun" written in purple marker. While there were no extra ingredients on it—no glitter, no extra pieces of construction paper, no drawings—the handwriting was extraordinarily neat, as Leni's work usually was. Mrs. Egan felt it had to be as good as a fourth grader. Not only that, but the edges were smooth; the heart shape was simply immaculate.
"Leni, this is wonderful," she said, smiling, "You should take this to the hospital and give it to Lincoln yourself. He will love it!"
Mrs. Egan then gently handed back the card.
"Why don't you look in your mailbox? Maybe someone gave you a Valentine."
Leni turned to the line of boxes, where the crowd was starting to disperse one kid at a time. Seeing this as an opportunity, she walked over to her box. Upon reaching it, though, she was unsure how to look inside. If it was stuck to the wall, the only way to see was to stick her hand in. Doing so, she fiddled it around the cardboard interior until her fingers felt a piece of paper. She pulled it out to reveal a white heart with beautiful calligraphy and drawings on it. One of which was of Ducky.
"You are amazing. You are special. Never let anyone bring you down. Always be yourself and there will be people that will love you.
Happy Valentine's Day!
- Mrs. Egan"
Leni didn't know what to say. She wasn't expecting anyone to give her anything, given the fact that she never talked to anyone. But the drawing of ducky, the beautiful blend of colors, and those words were more than enough.
And it made her smile.